Machine for charging annealing furnaces and the like



H. W. BALL Jan. 14, 1936.

MACHINE FOR CHQRGING ANNEALING FURNACES AND THE LIKE 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb. 13, 1935 H. W. BALL Jan. 14, 1936.

MACHINE FOR CHARGING AINNEALING FURNACES AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 13, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 H. w. BALL Jan.

MACHINE. FOR CHARGING ANNEALING FURNACES AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 15, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Jan. 14, 19236 PATENT oEFicE MACHINE FOR CHARGING ANNEALING FURNACES AND THE LIKE Harvey W. Ball, Alliance, Ohio, assgnor to The Morgan Engineering Company, Alliance, Ohio Application February 13, i935, serial No. 6,357

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in machines for charging annealing furnacesand the like, and more especiallyy to novel means for placing annealing boxes in andremoving them gfrom furnaces..

Heretofore it has been proposed to use special forms of trucks for transporting annealing boxes, and. these trucks were provided with wedge members for raising and lowering the platform of the ltruck. The primary purpose of the present invention is to furnish such a truck with improved and superior meansv for lifting and lowering the platform or platforms.

This machine is superior to the existing machines in that its construction does not require deep pits or excavations either in the storage beds or in the furnace. It is also to be observed that the machine allows the annealing boxes to run directly out of the furnace across the transfer carriage and into the storage yard. This arrangement, it is believed, is far superior to that where a turn table is mounted on the transfer car, the procedure in this case being to pull the cars out of the furnace on to the turn table and then 26 revolve the turn table until the tracks match up with the tracks in the storage yard, whereupon the charging machine containing the annealing boxes is run off of the turn table into the storage yard. With the foregoing objects outlined and with other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described in detail, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and

more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Fig. l is a. top plan view of the rear half of twin trucks.

Fig. la is a similar view of the front half of these trucks.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the rear half of one truck.

Fig. 2b is a similar View of the front half of such truck.

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view of the trucks, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, and showing the same within a portion of the furnace.

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view 5o on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2b.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the twin trucks viewed from one end, and illustrating the j manner in which they cooperate to carry annealing pans or boxes into or out of a furnace,

55 and for raising and lowering such pans or boxes.

Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical sectionalV view of a detail of a modiiication. e

Referring first to Fig. 5, it may be pointed out that tracks 6 may extend through an annealing furnace and into piers 1 at opposite sides of the furnace. Annealing pans 8 orannealing boxes (not shown), may be placed on these storage piers, and the improved charging mechanism` maybe employed-to transfer. the pans or boxes,` and the articles which they carry from the piers into the furnace, to lower the same on to the piers 9 (Fig. 3)-of the furnace, and to subsequently remove the same from the furnace.

There will be a pair of trucks associated with each storage pier, and each of these trucks I0 is provided at the bottom with a horizontal rack Il which meshes with a toothed pinion I2 operated by a, power driven shaft I3. Obviously, when the shaft I3 is rotated, it can be used to roll the twin trucks into or out of the furnace.

As both'trucks are identical, a detail description of one will suffice for both.

Eachtruck consists of an elongated body I4 supported by wheels I5 mounted on shafts I6.

A prime mover or motor Il is mounted on each truck and has a shaft I8 driving reduction gearing I9 which in turn drives an elongated horizontal shaft 2U. This shaft is equipped at spaced intervals with worms 2| driving worm wheel segments 22 secured to cross shafts 23 journaled in bearings 24 within the truck. Each cross shaft drives a pinion 25 that is mounted on the shaft and engages a vertically movable rack 26. Backing up rollers 21 engage the opposite sides of the racks to hold the racks in mesh with the pinion 25. Each pair of vertical racks supports an elevating platform 28 that is movable in a guideway 29 formed in the top of the truck.

From the foregoing it will be understood that when the motor I1 is operated to drive the shaft 20, movement will be imparted to the worm wheel segments 22. They will turn the shafts 23 and the pinions 25, and the pinions will cause the vertical -racks 26 andthe platforms 28 to raise or lower, depending on the direction of movement of the shaft 20.

The motors of the twin trucks will be controlled in unison, whereby when the trucks are in a storage pier, the platforms of both trucks will loe simultaneously elevated to lift an annealing pan or box from the pier. Then the shaft I3 will be operated to cause the pinions I2 to move the racks I I and the two trucks into 'the furnace. Now, the motors Il may be operated to lower the platforms, and thus deposit the pans or boxes on be operated by the shaft I3 to remove the trucks from the furnace during the annealing operation.

Obviously, when the annealing process is finished, the trucks can be again moved into the furnace. Then the platforms can be elevated to lift the pans or boxes from the piers 9, and after-v wards, the trucks will be moved inthe opposite direction for the purpose of bringing the pans into position to be lowered on to the storage piers 1. n

As explained above, the charging machine consists of two elongated trucks, each having two sets of parallel wheels I5 to give them stability, as the furnace and storage piers between them precludes any means for tying them together. To further stabilize the structure, I may modify the same as shown in Fig. 6. In other words, I may place rollers 50 at opposite sides of each truck on Vertical axles 5l. These rollers may be positioned at desiredV points along the length ofeach truck, and may cooperate with horizontal tracks 52` arranged on the sides of the piers.

While I have disclosed what I now consider to be preferred embodiments of the invention in such manner that the same may be readily understoodby those skilled in the art, it is apparent that changes maybe made in the details disclosed, without departing from the spirit of the invention, as expressed in the claims.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A charging machine for furnaces, comprising a wheel supported truck adapted to aid in supporting an annealing box, said truck having 5 a body provided with a vertical guideway extending lengthwise of the truck and opening through the top of the body, an elevating platform movable in said guideway and having an upper surface adapted to be brought into a position substantially ush with the top of the body to allow the body to support the annealing box until the platform is raised, means for moving said truck into and out of a furnace, toothed racks operatively connected to the platform, and means engaging the racks for raising and lowering the` platform, whereby said annealing box may be raised from the truck body.

2. A charging machine for furnaces, comprising a truck having a hollow elongated wheel supported body provided: with a vertical guideway extending lengthwise of` the body and opening through the top thereof, a vertically movable lifting platform guided by said guideway and adapted to be raised from a position within the v bodyto a position above the body', a motor housed wit-hin the body, and transmission means arranged withinr the body and operatively connecting the motor to said platform for raising the platform by theV operation of the motor.

HARVEY` W. BALL. 

